


no place like home

by sprinkleofsunshine



Series: be more chill wips [1]
Category: Be More Chill - Iconis/Tracz
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Dialogue Heavy, Ecuadorian Michael Mell, Filipino Michael Mell, Homecoming, Homesickness, M/M, Mentions of Sex, Michael Mell Has Two Moms, Not Beta Read, Visiting Family, WIP, We Die Like Men, because michael's a stoner, because we stan a mixed king like george salazar, i don't know okay, mentions of recreational drug use
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-04
Updated: 2019-12-04
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:09:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,651
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21666457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sprinkleofsunshine/pseuds/sprinkleofsunshine
Summary: "i promised myself i wouldn't do this, ma.""do what, my love?"michael sniffled. "get homesick so soon."***(in which michael visits his mothers after moving out, and realizes he misses home much more than he'd anticipated.)
Relationships: Jeremy Heere/Michael Mell
Series: be more chill wips [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1561993
Comments: 11
Kudos: 45





	no place like home

**Author's Note:**

> things to keep in mind:  
> > i don't speak tagalog, so the translations may be off. i apologize if they are.  
> > i wrote this at like 4 a.m. and it has not been betaed or revised in any way. there's a lot of inconsistencies and mistakes.  
> > this is an unfinished wip that will probably never be fixed. 
> 
> enjoy!!

when he was a child, michael thought he'd live at home forever. moving out just didn't appeal to him. he loved his home, and his moms, and his life. part of him always knew he'd be homesick once he finally left for university.

now, looking back at the entrance, waiting to be let in... he realized he was right.

_breathe, michael. breathe._ he rocked back and forth on his heels, anxiously awaiting a response.

the door in front of him felt far too small now. he'd have to duck his head to walk in. he didn't like thinking about that- about how he'd grown so much since he'd last been home.

after what felt like ages, the door jostled a bit before opening. a familiar face appeared in the doorway, eyes crinkling as she smiled.

"michael!"

michael had always seen anna mell as a vision of light. others might not have said the same. anna had strong arms and a bite behind her voice, something that could come off as intimidating under the wrong light, but she melted when it came to the people she loved.

now, standing before her, michael only saw radiant, beautiful light.

"my son," she said, voice dripping with pure, unbridled love. michael felt his heart swell. " _maligayang pagdating sa bahay_."

" _nanay_ ," he whispered, stepping forward. his arms found their way around his mother, pulling her into a tight embrace. he closed his eyes, breathing in the familiar scent of too-strong floral perfume and spilled paprika and dish soap and _home._

"come," anna waved a hand frantically, "come in. your mother will be so happy to see you. she's been talking about this for weeks."

michael giggled a little, walking inside- " _so tall_ ," his _nanay_ had mentioned as he ducked his head forward, despite how he hated acknowledging it- and calling out across the house.

"ma? you home?"

"michael!" the voice resonated from across the house. "welcome home!"

"where are you?"

"doing laundry- i'll be out in a minute, _mijo_."

"that woman," anna fussed, running a hand through her hair. "always working. never rests."

"you're one to talk!"

michael laughed. his chest felt full of warm, bubbling fondness. he'd missed this- his mothers' playful taunts, their lighthearted bickering, their arguing over michael. it was all in good fun, he knew. it made him feel whole again.

he sat at their dining table, looking around. nothing had changed, but a pang resonated in his heart at his newfound homesickness. he loved jeremy, and their little apartment together. but part of him longed for the safe confines of his childhood home again.

_damn nostalgia._

anna grabbed her son's hand, sitting next to him on the sofa. "tell me. how's school? what classes are you taking this year? how's jeremy? you two are still dating?"

" _nanay_ ," michael laughed, squeezing her hand. 

"i want to know how my son is doing!"

"anna, please," a voice piped up, leaning over the back of the sofa and kissing michael's head.

aléjandra mell was as graceful as ever. she was tall with a thin frame, all flowing curves and rounded out edges. she balanced a laundry basket on her hip. (" _pure silk_ " michael remembered his _nanay_ telling him one night. " _her voice, her body, her walk- everything about her is smooth, like silk. poised and perfect. not like us, eh?_ ")

"i'm sorry, _mijo_. your mother and i missed you, that's all."

"i know, mama," he smiled softly.

anna reached her free hand up, ruffling his hair. "talk, my angel. tell us about school."

***

michael found himself rambling soon; they talked about exams, and strict professors, and that kid in his bio study group that looked like the human equivalent of a plum ( _that is, if plums could walk and talk and read, and deal weed to michael in the back alley behind the school library- a detail he was sure to spare his parents from hearing about_ ).

"how's jeremy?" aléjandra chimed in as the conversation dulled.

"he's good," michael said, grinning to himself. he missed his boyfriend already.

"yeah? things are going well between you two?"

he was beaming. "absolutely. i'm so happy with him."

aléjandra bit her lip. "well... if you're really serious about this relationship, you should be wanting to move things forward pretty soon, hm?"

"ma, if this is about sex, i'm walking back to new york right now."

anna gasped, earning a laugh from the other two.

"that's not what i'm saying," aléjandra grinned. then, quieter- "we both know you both did a lot more than just play video games in that basement, anyway."

"mama!"

"i'm sorry!" she laughed harder, covering her mouth. "i'm sorry."

"just- i- what?" michael shook his head. he could feel his face burning hard. he looked over at his _nanay_ , who seemed to be stuck between a state of mortification and confusion. 

"that's not the point," aléjandra said. "what i meant was... well, i mean, you're young, but you're pretty serious about this relationship. it's been, what, six years now? and i'm not seeing a ring on that finger, mister."

"alé!" anna scoffed. "behave, please. you're trying to give our boy away so soon? he's a child!"

"he's in his 20's, _mi amor._ "

"22! that's too young."

"if it was legal back then, i would've married you when we were his age."

"michael rafael, if you think you're going to-"

"he can make his own decisions-"

michael groaned loudly, splaying himself out across the sofa and covering his face. " _nanay_ , mama, please! i didn't come here for you to argue over my love life."

they settled down, but not before grumbling softly about how they were right. michael bit back a giggle.

"thank you," he said, sitting back up. he wasn't sure how he was still alive right now; his body wanted nothing more than to disintegrate into a million little pieces and float away. he cleared his throat. "anyway. yeah. things are going really, really good between jere and i. and, when the time is right, and i'm not drowning in student debt and anxiety, i'd like to propose to him."

aléjandra's face lit up. she mouthed a soft "told you so."

he continued. "he just... he really makes me happy. and i think i make him really happy too. we've talked about the future a little bit already, and i know we both want to spend the rest of our lives together. it's just a matter of when."

"when the time is right- and _only_ then," anna said, "i think that would be wonderful."

"me too,"aléjandra added. 

michael beamed. "me too."

***

looking back at his childhood bedroom, michael had never realized just how much he'd missed home.

he sat on the bed that was just a bit too small. his fingers traced the smooth surface of the headboard, where the paint has slowly chipped away to reveal the dull grey wood underneath. he remembered a younger version of himself picking at the paint, trying to carve his initials into the waxy surface, wincing whenever he broke a nail in the process.

he remembered jumping up and down on this bed. he remembered hiding under the covers when there was a bad storm outside. he remembered kissing jeremy for the first time, the second, the third, tucked under the blankets when no one else was awake. 

somehow, michael had managed to hold himself together. but his efforts were proven pointless when he looked up at the ceiling.

above him was an array of little, glow-in-the-dark stars. 

michael's moms had given him these stars the day he was adopted. he'd walked into the room, full of fear and confusion, and found the package on the bed. 

his _nanay_ had called him a blessing. she'd told him that adopting him was the best reward they could ever get.

michael's six-year-old brain hadn't understood. his knowledge of rewards only covered gold stars and smiley faces on homework assignments.

clearly, these little stars were a sign. a symbol of his true meaning to these two strange, kind ladies. this is why they wanted him. he was their gold star.

balanced on top of chairs and cushions, he'd spent hours organizing the stars on his ceiling. he'd been so alone before- now, he had a place to live. he had a _family._ he could construct galaxies.

in those moments, he knew. he didn't just have a house. he was finally, _finally,_ home. 

now, michael saw those stars plastered above him, and he burst into tears.

***

"i wasn't supposed to do this."

shortly after, aléjandra had walked into the room to see her son crying. she'd sat next to him, speaking in that soft silk voice he'd always loved so much. he'd curled up in a ball, rested his head in her lap, and cried harder.

"i promised myself i wouldn't do this, ma."

aléjandra ran a hand through michael's hair, smiling softly. "do what, my love?"

michael sniffled. "get homesick so soon."

she smiled softly. "you can't control your heart, _mijo_. it's okay to miss home sometimes. it doesn't matter if it's been a week, or a year, or thirty years. we're always going to be your family. this is always going to be your home. it's okay."

"you always know just what to say," he said, rubbing his eyes.

"i'm your mom. that's my job."

he chuckled weakly. "i've gotta say, you do a damn good job at it."

"damn right i do."

that night, michael fell asleep to the feeling of his mother's hands in his hair, listening to her hum some lullaby he remembered hearing when he was a kid.

later, he'd complain about missing jeremy and their little, two-bedroom apartment. but for now, he just focused on the feeling of warmth enveloping him. the feeling that, no matter what happened, he was safe here. he was loved.

after all, there's no place like home.

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading :)


End file.
